Hosiery and the manufacture thereof



Aug- 7, 1934- c. A. KAUFMAN 1,969,307,

HOSIERY AND THE MANUFGTURE THEREOF Filed May 20, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 iff-291. Figa.

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Aug- 7, 1934 c. A. KAUFMA 1,969,302?

HOSIERY AND THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF Filed May 20, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wfgg ma wigs..

Patented Aug. 7, 1934 rrv srr HOSIERY AND THE MANUFACTURE THEREF This invention relates to full-fashioned hosiery, particularly of real silk, and to methods of and means for making the same.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, I have'in the accompanying drawings indicated a full-fashioned stocking as well as the blank for the leg thereof, and have diagrammatically indicated the manner in which a plurality of threads are laid each for a single course in predetermined sequence throughout the fabric, and have shown a part of a full-fashioned knitting machine of well known type, but having a plurality of thread guides which are actuated in accordance with the method of my invention to produce the resulting fabric of my invention.

The primary purpose of the invention is to produce full-fashioned hosiery and particularly silk hosiery which is devoid of the horizontal bands, streaks or light and heavy shade characteristics so commonly observable in hosiery now upon the market, which defect or characteristic is believed to be attributable to irregularities and inequalities invariably existent especially in `silk threads used in the manufacture of hosiery.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 represents a blank of a full fashioned stocking leg with heel tabs;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the completed stocking; l

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation upon a greatly enlarged scale of a small portion of knitted fabric to indicate the method of forming the same by successive threads of an unequal number laid each for a single course in an established or predetermined sequence; and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of a fullfashioned knitting machine having three main thread carriers which are moved in predetermined sequence so that each lays a single course 40 in the established sequence.

Full-fashioned hosiery as constructed upon well knownl knitting machines, such, for example, as the Reading knitting machine, Schubert & Salzer, Lieberknecht, Richter, etc., and especially when the same is made of silk and more especially when the same is made of black or dark colors, presents an unevenness of appearance and is almost invariably characterized by circumferentially extending streaks or zones with frequently strongly marked margins, although the hosiery is of a solid color, as distinguished from striped or plated fabric.- This defect is due to variations in the thread which in turn is due to natural variations in the silk, or in the strands themselves, lor in parts thereof, which cause such inequalities in the silk that one cone or skein of silk usually differs from another and oftentimes the silk is not uniform throughout the length of thread on any one cone or in any one skein. The result is that in the manufacture of full-fashioned hosiery the inequalities in the silk manifest themselves in the above mentioned streaks or circumferential bands.

Although the terms thread and yarn are sometimesf employed as meaning substantially the same thing, in order to avoid any confusion in the meaning of the claims I shall therein use the term yarn of natural silk to indicate the material of which the full-fashioned hosiery herein disclosed is knitted. As is well known, each silk thread is composed of a varying number of cocoon filaments, that is several filaments are employed to make each thread as that term is employed herein. In order to constitute a yarn of natural silk as that term is employed herein, several such silk threads are combined. For example, in so-cailed chiffon hosiery two to live threads are combined; in so-called semi-service weight six to eight such threads are combined; and in so-called service weight hosiery nine to twelve, or sometimes more, such threads are combined, so as in each case to make a yarn of natural silk. Without attempting to dene any precise limitation, my investigations show that my invention overcomes the formation of the said horizontal bands, horizontal streaks and light or heavy horizontal shade effects in all full-fashioned silk hosiery up to and including the twelve thread service weight. All such hosiery may be characterized as substantially translucent, such term not being employed herein for the purpose of defining exact limitation of my invention but as a well-known example of a weight or character of hosiery wherein said bands, streaks or shade effects are ordinarily very observable and which my invention overcomes.

In order to overcome the defects or objections to which I have referred, I employ a plurality of dierent cones, bobbins or other packages of silk, preferably of any uneven number, as, for example, three, or ve, or seven, or nine, etc. I so support the said cones or thread packages that a thread from each cone is delivered to a different thread finger or thread guide, and each such finger or guide is, by appropriate mechanism moved from one side of the bank of needles across to the other side thereof, laying the thread against the needles to be immediately formed into loops by the co-action of the sinkers, dividers measured into loops.

and knocking-over bits in a manner which need not be more fully described.

For simplicity of description and without in any way conning my invention thereto, I will refer to one embodiment of the fabric of my invention represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and to suicient of a full-fashioned knitting machine having my invention applied thereto, to-cause the same to be understood.

In Fig. 1 the blank for the leg of a full-fashioned stocking is indicated at 1, it being provided with the customary heel tabs 2, 3 integrally knitted therewith and each having, if desired, a reinforcement, as well as in the high splice portion above the heel. Ihis is effected by throwing in an additional thread for short traverses, as well understood. I have not attemptedin Fig. l to show the novel selvedge that is characteristic of my invention, but the same is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3. In Fig. 2, the complete stocking is indicated at 4, the footportion 5 having been preferably knitted upon a footer, though' obviously my invention may be practiced either in a legger or a footer or in a single unit machine which manufactures both the leg and the foot.

Referring to Fig. 3, wherein 'are diagrammatically shown six courses of a plain fabric, it is to be understood that the first knitted course is that marked a and that the succeeding courses b to f are knitted in sequence. Upon reference to Fig. 3 as well as to Fig. 4, it will be observed that three different and independently but automatically traversed thread guides or fingers A, B, C are employed, though as already stated another number of guides or fingers may be einployed; each being mounted on its own bar or rod. It will be assumed that at the commencement of the knitting operation or if desired after the welt 6 of the stocking has been knitted (if the stocking be provided with an upper Welt), the three thread guides or fingers A, B, C are positioned as shown in Fig. v3, namely, the thread guides A and C at one edge or end of the bank of needles and the thread guide B at the other end of the bank of needles. In order to knit the rst course (namely, the course a), the thread guide A is, by appropriate mechanism, moved from right to left (namely, in the direction of the arrow opposite the same) so as to lay the thread across the entire bank of needles, so that by the co-action of the dividers and sinkers, the thread is indented or sunk between the needles. When the thread finger A reaches the left hand edge of the fabric viewing Fig. 3, it

dwells a very short period so as to permit the thread fingers Band C next to be operated, the thread nger B preceding in action the thread finger C. The said thread finger B' traverses from left to right across the entire bank of needles viewing Fig. 3, and so lays the course b of loops with the cooperation of the sinkers and dividers. When the thread finger B reaches the the right hand edge of the fabric, it also dwells for a short period. Next the thread finger C which is still in position at the right hand edge of the fabric is moved from the right hand edge across the entire bank of needles to the left hand edge, laying the thread against the needles. With the cooperation of the sinkers and dividers the thread is properly indented and sunk and Thus, three courses a, b, c have been laid, each from a separate thread supply, as it will be understood that a separate cone of silk pertaining to each of the thread guides A. B. C is properly supported in position recaen? upon the frame of the machine, so that the thread fingers A, B, C draw the threads therefrom respectively.

Assuming for the purpose of description that I employ three separate main thread guides A, B, C, and that thus a single cycleor sequence of thread laying has been eected, namely, the courses a, b, c, I then in sequence lay the threads for the courses d, e, f, in the same manner. 'Ihat is to say, the course d is formed of the same thread that laid the course a, the course e is composed of the same thread used in laying the course b, and the course f is composed of the same thread used in laying and forming the course c. Inasmuch as thethread of the thread nger 'A made a dwell at the left hand edge of the fabric until after the courses b and c have been laidby the thread guides B and C respectively, it will be understood that the thread indicated at A from which the course a was laid extends or floats at the selvedge of the fabric from the course a to the course d, as diagrammatically indicated at the left hand side of Fig. 3. Similarly, when the thread finger B has laid the course b and after courses c and d have been'laid, the thread B' at the right hand selvedge is floatedor extends lengthwise the fabric up to the course e. Similarly the thread C from the course c laid by the thread guide C is at the left hand selvedge floated or carried longitudinally of the fabric up to the course f.

This same method of procedure vwill be employed with any greater uneven number of thread fingers, as for example ve or seven, etc.

My invention is not limited to the laying of the threads in the manner described with respect to Fig. 3. I may secure the advantages of my invention by laying a series of threads, each for a single course, in a predetermined sequence, and repeating that sequence, by providing a suitable number of thread guides and positioning them all at the same side of the machine. Within the scope of my invention other variations in the laying of the threads may be practiced, since in many different Ways I may lay a course of a single thread, the next course from another thread, and soonV throughout the stocking. For convenience in practicing the invention on equipment most generally available, I have selected an uneven number of carriers for illustration, but the method may be carried out with an even number of carriers.

For the purpose of practicing my invention, the knitting machine, awportion of which is indicated in Fig. 4, is provided with as' many thread guide bars or rods asv there are separate main thread guides, whether the number be three or five or seven, or any different number, and each is automatically moved in the proper direction in proper sequence. It will, of course, be understood that in addition to what I have termed the main thread guides there may be other guides, as is customary for supplying the thread for the welt, the reinforcement of the heel tab, and other usual purposes.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the use of a substantial plurality of different thread supplies, one for each course, in

predetermined sequence, results in what vmay be termed a blend or diffusion or distribution throughout the fabric of such variations as exist inherently in the thread itself from whatever cause. Thus, I secure a uniform texture of fab.- ric in spite of variations of the threads themselves, and the light and heavy shadings which `entirely harmonious appearance.

heretofore have been so observable because each existed in an undistributed manner, are minimized or less observable because the inequalities of each thread are scattered or distributed among the other threads, so that the entire effect is an The result may be referred to as a composite effect derived from the distribution, course after course, of a substantial number of threads, and though each thread still has its natural or inevitable irregularities, whether continuously or at intervals, they are so blended or distributed among the irregularities of the other threads that a fabric of uniform texture and appearance is presented, and wherein the irregularities are evened out and the light and shade effects are so diffused as to give an essentially uniform appearance.

The saving resulting from my, invention is very marked. Heretofore the number of hose of inferior quality resulting from this streak or band effect has been very substantial, and by my invention the same will be materially reduced.

The defects to which I have referred have nothing to do with the dyeing operation, and are as observable in ingrain stockings (namely, those in which the thread is dyed before being knitted) as in fabrics which are knitted and thereafter dyed and finished. While my invention is of importance with all shades or colors of hosiery, the defects to which I have referred are particularly observable in dark shades and sheer hosiery, whether black or some other dark color.

My invention is not limited to any particular mechanism since it may be practiced upon any full-fashioned machine by equipping the same with the desired number of thread carriers, each thread carrier being mounted upon its own bar and each bar being in practice automatically moved lengthwise in proper sequence. In any suitable automatic manner, each thread carrier is vin practice moved in the predetermined sequence across the fabric from one edge to the other, there to make a dwell before returning automatically, until all the other threads of the sequence or series have been moved or laid across the bank of needles.

In a full-fashioned machine, there may be eighteen, twenty, twenty-four or other suitable number of needle banks so that such number of stocking blanks may be simultaneously knitted. In the practice of my invention, I similarly knit all the blanks simultaneously and so arrange the thread guides upon the respective bars or rods that at each stocking blank there are as many separate thread fingers as are employed in sequence. For example, I may have eighteen banks of needles in the single machine frame, and have three thread guide bars or rods extending the entire length of the machine, in which case on the first bar I provide at each bank of needles a thread guide or finger A; on the next bar or rod I provide at each bank a thread finger B, and on the third bar or rod I provide at each bank a thread finger C. Thus, upon each rod or bar,

there would in such embodiment of the invention be eighteen thread fingers.

If any other number of bars or rods are provided, each of them would have as many thread fingers as there are stocking blanks to be simultaneously formed by the knitting machine.

When a stocking leg is knitted upon one machine and is then transferred to a'footer for the knitting of the foot and the toe, there is sometimes observable a more or less well defined line across the instep where the knitting of the foot 'would be due to inequalities in the threads themhas begun. In so far as this is due to inequalities in the thread or threads employed, the difficulty may be overcome in large measure by` the use of my invention in the knitting of the leg and in the knitting of the foot. 'Ihis is due to the fact that the natural inequalities of the threads have been so distributed or diffused, preferably throughout the entire fabric including both the leg and the `foot, that the course at which the knitting of the foot is begun will not be observable because of any inequalities in the threads themselves. In other words, my invention minimizes any appearance at the line or course of juncture that selves.

My invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiments thereof which have been particularly described above but, on the contrary, may be variously modified and' embodied within the scope of the subjoined claims.

1. A full-fashioned selvedged silk stocking composed throughout a substantial portion thereof of yarns of natural silk of substantially the same color and character, said stocking being of a Weight in which so-called horizontal streaks, bands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in a substantially translucent stocking, said portion of the stocking being formed of at least three separate yarns of natural silk, each laid for a single course only until the entire series of said separate yarns of natural silk has been so laid; the said yarns being similarly laid in repetition each for a single course only throughout said substantial portion of the length of the stocking, whereby the inevitable inequalities in different portions of the same yarn of naturall silk are diffused and distributed, and said inequalities are all blended by the said interposition of single courses of all the yarns so that the so-called horizontal streaks or bands or light and heavy shade characteristics are substantially eliminated.

2. Full-fashioned selvedged silk hosiery or blank therefor of a weight in which so-called horizontal streaks, bands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in substantially translucent hosiery, but wherein the variations existent in the yarns of natural silk from which such hosiery is made are distributed sufficiently throughout the fabric to provide a uniform texture and appearance and a blend or diffusion of such variations, said fullfashioned silk hosiery or blank to that end being composed throughout the leg portion thereof of a multiplicity of series of courses of yarns of natural silk, each such series of courses consisting of at least three separate yarns of natural silk of substantially the same color and character, each such yarn being in a single course only in each series whereby no yarn in any series is interlooped upon itself, each yarn at each selvedge floating or extending longitudinally of the fabric to that point in the next series of courses where it is re-introduced.

3. That method of distributing in full-fashioned selvedged silk hosiery or blank therefor the variations existent in the yarns of natural silk from which such silk hosiery is made and thereby producing full-fashioned silk hosiery of uniform texture notwithstanding such yarn variations, which consists in the following steps in the production of hosiery of a weight in which co-called horizontal streaks, bands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in substantially translucent hosiery:- laying a series of at least three yarns of natural silk of substantially the same color and character and forming knitted loops in a series of successive courses of said yarns, each course of such series of at least three yarns being of a yarn of natural silk that is separate and distinct from the yarns of the other courses of said series so that no yarn is directly interlooped upon itself in said series; and continuing in successive series of courses each series consisting of at least three separate yarns each in a single course only, until a substantial portion of said stocking or `blank is knitted.

4. That method of distributing in full-fashioned selvedged silk hosiery or blanks therefor the variations existent in the yarns of natural silk from which such hosiery is made and thereby producing full-fashioned selvedged silk hosiery of uniform texture notwithstanding such yarn Variations, which consist in the following steps in the production of hosiery of a weight in which so-called horizontal streaks, bands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in substantially translucent hosieryz-laying at least three separate yarns of natural silk of substantially the same color and character and forming knitted loops therefrom in a series of successive courses wherein each course consists of a yarn of natural silk that is separate and distinct from the yarns of the other courses of said series so that no yarn in said series of at least three yarns is interlooped directly upon itself; then continuing in successive series of courses, each of which is composed of at least three separate yarns laid in a single course only, until at least the leg of the stocking below the top welt thereof has been knitted, whereby a fullvfashioned selvedged silk stocking is provided wherein the silk-thread irregularities are so distributed that a silk stocking of uniform texture and appearance is presented.

5. That method of knitting a full-fashioned selvedged silk stocking of a Weight in which socalled horizontal streaks, bands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in a substantially translucent stocking, but so as substantially to eliminate said streaks, bands and shade characteristics, which comprises knitting an extensive portion of said stocking from at least three separate yarns of natural silk all of substantially the same color and character, and during the knitting operation superseding each such yarn at the end of a single course thereof by another of said yarns for a single course only, and continuing such superseding action of each such yarn until a single course of each of said at least three yarns has been knitted, and then continuing such knitting of single courses only of all said yarns until said extensive portion of the stocking has been completed, thereby diffusing and distributing the inequalities of each yarn among said other yarns.

6. That method of distributing in full-fashioned selvedged silk hosiery or blanks therefor the variations existent in the yarns of natural silk from which said silk hosiery is made and thereby producing full-fashioned selvedged silk hosiery of uniform texture notwithstanding such yarnvariations, which consists inthe following steps in the production of hosiery of a weight in which so-called horizontal streaks, bands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in substantially translucent hosieryz-laying the first yarn of natural silk incase? the stocking the laying of series after series of courses of said yarns as specified, each course of each series being of a yarn of natural silk separate and. distinct from every other yarn of that series.

'7. That method of distributing in full-fashioned selvedged silk hosiery or blanks therefor the variations existent in the yarns of natural silk from which said hosiery is made and thereby producing full-fashioned selvedged silk hosiery of uniform texture notwithstanding such yarn variations, which consist in the following steps in the production of hosiery of a weight in which socalled horizontal streaks, bands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in substantially translucent hosieryz-laying the first yarn of a series of yarns of natural silk all of substantially the same color and character, from one edge of and across a bank of needles to form one course; laying the second yarn of said series from the opposite edge of and across said bank of needles to form the next course; laying the third yarn of said series from the same edge of the bank of needles as the rst yarn to form the third course and thereby completing the courses of said series, wherein no yarn is directly interlooped upon itself; and con-4 lbands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in a substantially translucent stocking, the stocking being formed of at least three separate yarns of natural silk, each laid for a single course only until the entire series of said separate yarns of natural silk has been so laid; the said yarns being similarly laid in repetition each for a single course only throughout the leg portion from at least the bottom of the top welt thereof, and in the foot portion, whereby the inevitable inequalities in different portions of the same yarn of natural silk are diffused and distributed, and said inequalities are all blended by the said interposition of single courses of all the yarns so that the so-called horizontal streaks or bands or light and heavy shade characteristics are substantially eliminated.

9. A full-fashioned selvedged silk stocking composed throughout a substantial portion thereof of yarns of `natural silk of substantially the same color and character, said stocking being of a weight in which so-called horizontal streaks, bands or light and heavy shade characteristics can ordinarily be observed, as for example in a substantially translucent stocking, said portion of the stocking being formed of at least three separate yarns of natural silk each laid for a single course only, until a series consisting of at least three separate yarns has been laid; said sublll@ same yarn of natural silk are diffused and distributed, and said inequalities are al1 blended by the said interposition of single courses of all the yarns so that the so-called horizontal streaks or bands or light and heavy shade characteristics areA substantially eliminated.

CHARLES A. KAUFMAN. 

